Iraq veteran Brian Kolfage to be guest of Gabrielle Giffords at address

by Craig Harris - Jan. 23, 2012 09:36 PMThe Republic | azcentral.com

Brian Kolfage, a University of Arizona architecture student who lost three limbs while serving in Iraq, will be a guest of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords at Tuesday night's State of the Union address.

Kolfage, who serves on the congresswoman's Veterans Advisory Council, said Monday that he is ecstatic over the invitation.

"I've been to the Capitol four times in the past few years, and being an architecture student, I enjoy seeing the inside of that building," Kolfage said in an e-mail. "As far as the address goes, it will be awesome to see such an important tradition that not many 'normal' citizens get to see first hand. It's something down the road I can share with my kids and be proud to see our government at work."

Kolfage began serving in the U.S. Air Force in 2001, and was injured three years later when a mortar attack in Balad, Iraq, left him without his legs and dominant right hand.

Kolfage said he got to know Giffords when she helped him on many occasions dealing with government "red tape."

"She's always been a supporter of the military," Kofage said. "Two summers ago, we visited Gabby at her office in D.C. She gave us a private tour of her office and the Capitol. She's very personable, and I have never met any politician with such a humble personality. Her invitation to me truly shows the type of person she is."

Kolfage came to Tucson in September 2005, and worked at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base as a security manager. He later enrolled at Pima Community College.

In 2009, he applied to the UA College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, and he is currently in the third year of a five-year program. He also has secured a number of scholarships, including one given by the Pat Tillman Foundation.

"He is such a go-getter," said Sasha Wilson, the college's undergraduate academic adviser. "He has such a great attitude ... He's very likeable and he doesn't want any sympathy."

Kolfage said he spent two weeks last summer visiting fellow soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where his own recovery took place.

He also married Ashley Goetz, his girlfriend of five years, last summer in Tucson.